Etymology: < Old French jaspre (15th cent. in Littré) variant of jaspe = Spanish jaspe, Portuguese jaspe, Provençal jaspi, Italian iaspide, < Latin iaspis, iaspid-em, < Greek ἴασπις, ἰασπιδ- jasper, a word of eastern origin: compare Hebrew yashpeh (Exodus xxviii. 20), Assyrian asphū; Persian yashm, and yashp (Persian and Arabic yashb, and yashf) jasper. In medieval Latin diasprus, diasprum, was used both for jasper and diaper; Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese diaspro have also the sense ‘jasper’.

Etymology: Male Christian name.

Etymology: Origin uncertain and disputed. Suggestions include: (i) Derivation ultimately < the male forename Jasper (see jasper n.²), probably suggested by the similarity in sound between the name and wasp n.¹, although perhaps compare earlier use of jasper in the sense ‘louse’, noted in Eng. Dial. Dict. at Jasper sb. from Lincolnshire in 1866. (ii) A specific sense development of jasper n.¹ with allusion to the yellow colour and dark banding of some minerals known by this name.

Etymology: < jasper n.¹: compare French jasper verb (in same sense), < jaspe noun; also Spanish jaspear, Portuguese jaspear to speckle like jasper, to sprinkle with green and vermilion; to marble.